ANAHEIM, Calif. — Christian Moore made it to the big leagues less than 11 months after the Los Angeles Angels drafted him.
A mere 10 days after he got that call, Moore felt he truly arrived when he hit two clutch homers to beat the Red Sox.
Moore hit a tying solo homer in the eighth inning and a two-run shot in the 10th inning of the Angels’ 3-2 victory over Boston. The walk-off homer capped a remarkable moment for the energetic No. 8 overall pick who could be a fixture in the Halos’ lineup for years to come.
Moore’s new teammates celebrated his second blast by tearing the jersey off his back at home plate before dousing the Brooklyn native with two ice-cold coolers of sports drinks during his postgame interview.
“It means the world to me to be here in this situation,” said Moore, the Angels’ top prospect. “It’s a full, complete circle, obviously. The Angels saw something in me at last year’s draft, and they continue to see something in me, and I’m going to continue to go out there and try to win games.”
One year to the day after Moore’s Tennessee Volunteers won the College World Series, the second baseman had the biggest game of his promising professional career. The Angels already are sold on Moore’s ability to thrive in the majors.
“He’s going to be here for long time,” Angels shortstop Zach Neto said. “For him to be able to do that in the eighth inning with that swing, and have the confidence to be able to do it again in the 10th, just shows who he is. We drafted him for a reason, and he’s here for a reason.”
Moore’s big game didn’t start out superbly, with fellow ex-Vol Garrett Crochet striking him out twice. But Moore learned from the challenges of facing one of the majors’ best pitchers, and he came through with a pair of clutch homers off the Boston bullpen.
“Those were two really special (at-bats),” Angels acting manager Ray Montgomery said. “To do that here is really fun for him. … He has that youthful sort of exuberance that’s refreshing, because there’s just so much energy.”
Moore first connected on a high fastball from Greg Weissert in the eighth, wiping out Boston’s 1-0 lead that Crochet nursed through seven innings.
After Marcelo Mayer led off the 10th with an RBI single for Boston, Moore ended it in the bottom half with a one-out homer off Justin Wilson.
The drive hit the elevated wall in right field at Angel Stadium just barely above the yellow line signifying a homer, and Moore thought he only had a triple until he was waved home.
“I didn’t believe it,” Moore said with a grin. “I was kind of scared to get off the base, but the umpire made it pretty serious that it was a home run, so I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to take your word for it and go celebrate with my boys. That’s cool with me.’”
The Angels aggressively have promoted their top prospects under general manager Perry Minasian, calling up Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel well before the industry norms. While Neto rounded into an elite player quickly, Schanuel needed a couple of years before he began contributing at an above-average level this season.
Los Angeles is hoping Moore can quickly master the challenges of the majors after just 305 at-bats in the minors. Moore figures this big game will provide a boost to his confidence and competitiveness.
“It was definitely huge,” Moore said. “If you look at (my offensive) numbers before today, it wasn’t too good. I think that’s just part of it, being young and trying to figure it out in this league. I think there’s just a lot of good arms. Facing Garrett Crochet, he’s definitely tough. I think it’s (the same) for a lot of guys that are young. We’re finding our way for sure, and we’re going to keep doing it.”
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